Outdoors and wildfire - Foothills
On Boulder County's high peaks, the clock matters as much as the trail
Summits like Mount Audubon in the Indian Peaks rise into open alpine tundra where summer thunderstorms often build by afternoon, so an early start is a safety tool.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 12, 2026
Boulder County’s western skyline tops out in the high peaks of the Indian Peaks, and climbing one, Mount Audubon is a popular choice, means leaving the trees behind. Up there, the weather, not the distance, is often the real hazard.
Peaks like Audubon climb above timberline onto open talus and alpine tundra, ground with no shelter from the sky. In summer, a common Colorado pattern is for clouds to build through the morning and stack into thunderstorms by afternoon. The National Weather Service urges people to plan outdoor time around thunderstorms and to get to safer ground before a storm arrives, because lightning on an exposed ridge or summit is deadly serious. The habit many Colorado hikers follow is simple: start very early and aim to be off the high, open ground before storms have a chance to build.
A few other habits help. Watch the sky and turn around if storms are growing, even short of the summit. Carry warm layers and rain protection, since temperatures drop fast. The tundra is fragile and slow to recover, so stay on durable rock and trail.
Weather is never guaranteed, and conditions change by the hour and the season. Check a current mountain forecast from the National Weather Service and the Forest Service trail information for Mount Audubon and the Indian Peaks before heading up.